“Every now and then the Bahraini government says it has arrested a number of its nationals under the pretext of countering terrorist cells, and claims they were linked to the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Qassemi said in a statement on Friday.
“The international community is well aware that the 6-year-old domestic crisis in Bahrain is the result of the government’s security approach to the civil and peaceful protests of the majority of its people,” foreign ministry spokesman added.
Qassemi once again urged the Bahraini government to accept the repeated international calls for abandoning the ‘security approach’ to civil protests and start talks with popular opposition leaders instead of continuously pinning the blame on others and accusing neighbours, which is an outdated and ineffective policy.
His remarks came after the Bahraini regime said on Thursday that it has arrested members of a terror cell allegedly linked to Iran.
Bahrain, a close ally of the US in the Persian Gulf region, has been witnessing protests against the ruling Al Khalifa dynasty since early 2011, with Manama using heavy-handed measures in an attempt to crush the demonstrations.
Scores of Bahrainis have been killed and hundreds of others injured and arrested in the ongoing crackdown on the peaceful demonstrations.
